Please share your response to one of the following:

• When you were in school, what did it take to be “in”? “Out”?
• Who is the “greatest” person you have met? What made that person great?

Study

Please read Luke 18.9-14 and discuss the following:

• In what ways did these men have a similar worship experience?
• In what ways was it different?
• What was the significance of the animal sacrifice to the Jews?
• Where does prayer fit into the scene? What do you think the people prayed about?
• How were the Pharisee and Tax Collector different in their approach to God?
• In what ways do you think this parable was a “surprise” to Jesus’ hearers?
• Why do you think God applauds humility?

Apply

• It is easy to hear lessons and think that someone else needs to hear them. Maybe that is true, but how does this parable impact YOU?
• How would you respond if a person who was very different from you (in appearance; lifestyle; religious belief; political philosophy; etc.) wanted to become a member of our church?
• When have you been like the Pharisee in your approach to God?
• When have you been like the Tax Collector?

• How do you respond when you realize someone has “pulled the wool over your eyes”?
• What is your better means of motivation – the “carrot” or the “stick”?

Study

Please read 2 Chronicles 7.11-22 verses and discuss with your Group.

1. Why do you think God appears to Solomon in dreams? (see also 2 Chronicles 1.7ff)
2. How does he motivate Solomon?
3. What is the original situation for verse 14?
4. What are the promises to Solomon? What are the conditions to the promises?
5. Why do you think God makes his promises conditional?
6. Are God’s warnings harsh to you? Why?
7. What is the significance of verse 18?

Apply

• Although the initial intent of verse 14 was to Israel, how may we apply it?
• Contrary to modern history books, America was established on Biblical principles. How do you see our country’s alignment to the scriptures today?
• If you were the “Monarch of America,” what would you do to fix our problems (short answers, please).
• If we honor God as a nation, what will he do for us? What if we don’t?
• What are things YOU can do to help America get back on track?

Please share your response to one of the following:

• As a high school student what did you do in your spare time? (Sports, student government, band, scouts, etc.)
•  
• Outside of your family, where would you say your personality, who you are today, was shaped?

• Junior high school
• High school
• Church
• Club or Organization
• College First Job

Study

Please read the following passages and share your responses to the following questions:

Matthew 22.34-40

• In what ways does this passage simplify our walk with God?
• Why do you think we try to complicate our faith?
• What happens to people when we make things harder than God intended?

Exodus 17.12-13

• What is the symbolism in this passage?
• Who do you think the Amalekites represent?
• What is significant about Moses’ hands?
• What is exemplified by Aaron and Hur? Joshua? His army?
• How does the steadiness of Moses’ hands represent our faith?

Deuteronomy 7.6-12

• What do you think is significant about the “steadiness/faithfulness” of God to us?
• What mutual obligations do we have?

Apply

• How would you say you are “chosen” by God? How is this similar to Israel? What obligations come with it?
• When you feel like wavering from God, what do you do to steady yourself?
• What battle has God won (or is winning) in your life lately?

Please share one of the following with your Group:

• Do you prefer to buy clothes at – a garage sale or a Macy’s? Why?
• What is the greatest act of generosity you have ever seen? What made t so?
• In Dickens’ “Christmas Carol,” which Scrooge do you identify with – the miser or the one who shared?

Study

Please read Matthew 6.19-24 and discuss the following

• Why do you think the eyes are significant in Jesus’ statements here?
• Why would God describe generosity as the “good” eye? Stinginess as the “evil” eye?
• In what ways does the evil eye “see” itself?
• What is the connection between treasure and heart? Where do our eyes fit in?
• How does our choice of treasures affect our actions?
• How do our actions now produce rewards in the world to come? Why is this not about salvation?

Apply

• How do our eyes affect our actions?
• How does thinking as God thinks impact how and what we see and do?
• How can we cultivate an attitude that emphasizes others?
• What role does thanksgiving play?

Share with the Group one or two of the following:

• If I could throw caution to the wind and really risk, I would. . . . .
• The comic character I would like to be like is. . . . .
• The most important decision of my life was/is. . . . .
• As a child, my favorite game was. . . . . .
• My favorite movie of all times is. . . . . .
• What makes me laugh is. . . . . .
• Today, I like to play by. . . . . . .
• I cry when . . . . . . . .

Study

Read Mark 10:35-45 and discuss the following with your group:

• What do you think motivated James and John to make this request?
• How do you think they saw the “kingdom”?
• If you had been James or John, how would you have felt about Jesus’ response?
• What were the cup, baptism, and glory Jesus spoke of?
• Why did the other disciples respond to James and John as they did?
• Jesus did not” waste the crisis.” What lesson does he teach? How does it go contrary to the norm?

Apply

• When have you seen a sacrificial spirit of service? A submissive spirit of service? How did you feel about that kind of person?
• What values has Jesus turned upside down in your life? How has it impacted your life?
• In following the example of Jesus, what is one way you can display a servant’s heart this week?

Share your responses to one of the following:

• Tell of a time you experienced a meaningful worship service. What made it that way?
•  Special effects
•  A change from the norm
•  My situation
•  Other

• The last time you were called into the “Boss’ Office,” how did you feel? What happened?

Study

• Read Isaiah 6:1-8 and discuss the following:
• What picture of God do you get from this passage?
• Why do you think Isaiah mentions the death of Uzziah?
  
• It was a time reference
• Uzziah was god-like to the nation
• Uzziah was a powerful political leader
• Other

• How do you think Isaiah first saw himself in this experience? At the end? Why the change?
• What was Isaiah willing to do for God? Why?

Apply

• What experiences have you had where you could say, “My eyes have seen the king!”?

• A near-death experience
• A dream
• When I was in trouble
•  In a worship service
• In a personal “Quiet Time”
•  In a class
• Other:

• Which of the following is most difficult for you to say, “Here am I send me!”?

• To tell others about Jesus
• Lead a HOME Group
• Teach Children
• Teach Adults
• Visit Prisons/Jails
• Visit Hospitals/Nursing Homes
• Making ethical decisions at work
• Doing benevolence
• Open your home to others
• Befriend a lonely person/new member
• Foreign Missions
• Other

• Which of the following would help you most in your worship experiences

• A daily “Quiet Time” with God
• Purchasing worship CDs or DVDs
• Memorize Songs
• Memorize scripture
• Focus on one attribute of God each week (Holiness/Grace/ etc.)
• Ask God to search your heart
• Be a TRUE disciple by obediently say “Yes” to God in every area of your life

Please discuss one of the following:

If I was on the TV show, Survivor, I would:

• Display blatant Christian behavior at all costs
• Blend in with the crowd
• Lie, cheat, or steal to win the $1,000,000
• “Be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove.”

When I play Monopoly I (circle 2)

• Get in fights
• Give up before the game is over
• Forget about being kind and generous
• Feel sorry for the ones who are losing and help them out
• Hang in until the bitter end
• Cheat
• Get bored (I hate games)

Study

Please read Ephesians 4:17-32 and discuss the following:

• What do you think controls the behavior of the non-believers? (see vv. 17-19)
• What role does “truth” play in our understanding of Jesus? How do you think that truth is to come out in our words and actions? (vv. 25-28)
• What impact does the heart have on our actions?
• How does Jesus affect the way we deal with: Anger? Honest work? Our words? Our relationship with the Holy Spirit?
• How do you think we benefit ourselves when we get rid of sinful behavior and embrace godly living? How does it impact others?
• What do you think is the power of forgiveness?

Apply

Discuss one or two of the following with the group:

• What “blocks” exist in your life (what keeps you from being all you know to be)?
• In what ways are you inefficient? Ineffective?
• What is one quality you have that is not usually seen by others?
• With whom would you like to get along better?
• How can this group assist you in these things?

Spectrum Lines

Pinpoint where you see yourself on these Spectrum Lines and explain one or two to the group.

Talker____________________________________________________Listener

Thinker___________________________________________________Doer

Leader____________________________________________________Follower

Rabbit____________________________________________________Turtle

Adenturer__________________________________________________Nester

Pitcher____________________________________________________Catcher

Study

Read James 2:14-26 and discuss your answers to the following:

• 1. How do you see the relationship of faith and works? When are works important and when are they unimportant?
• 2. What experiences have you had/seen with benevolent cases? How have you felt dealing with them? Why do you think benevolence is so difficult?
• 3. How do James’ three examples display faith?
•      a. Demons
•      b. Abraham
•      c. Rahab
• 4. What applications do you see to the body without the spirit and faith without works?

Apply

• 1. How would you rate your faith – Living or Dead? How do you know?
• 2. How can you strengthen your faith? How can this group help you?
• 3. On the line below write down the name of the person(s) you will encourage with a phone call this week:

I Will Call ____________________________________________________

Please share from the following:

1. What I need more than anything else from this Group is someone:

•  To talk to
• To belong to
• To support me
• To affirm me
• To share my concerns
• To stir up my dreams
• Other ____________________

2. What scares me about being in a close Christian community is that they might:

• Find me out
• Not accept me after they find out about me
• Expect something out of me if they accept me
• Not be my kind of people
• Upset my lifestyle
• Let me down

Study

Read Ezekiel 33:30-32 and discuss the following:

1. Why do you think the prophets had such a hard time getting people to believe their messages?

2. Why did the people “go through the motions” of listening to Ezekiel? What kept them from following through with their commitments to God? How do you see this today?

3. Why do you think we lose a sense of urgency about our relationship with God?

4. Why is it important that we not only KNOW what God says/wants, but that we put it into practice?

5. How does the “greatest command” (Deuteronomy 6.4-5) and the “second greatest command” (Leviticus 19.18) sum up our need to HEAR and DO?

Apply

1. When do you think that we are serious about spreading the kingdom of God? How can we tell if we are NOT serious about it? When are times you personally have been serious about it? When have you not been serious?
2. How does Christian community help you to keep on track with God?
3. What do you think are the stumbling blocks to having the kind of community of believers that we see among the early disciples (Acts 2, etc.)?

•  We don’t know each other
• We don’t know each other’s needs
• We don’t take time for one another
• We have more pressing issues
• We don’t feel urgency
• What spiritual things do you know but aren’t doing? How can this Group help you?

It is interesting how we tend to fail to learn from the past. We tend to repeat even the most basic things as we see in the account in Genesis 3. We fail to take personal responsibility when we make wrong choices. We want to blame others for our sins and mistakes. We shy away from accountability, yet that is what we need to help our spiritual walk.

I hope this lesson is useful to you.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

Open

Please share your response to one of the following:

• When you were a child, what games did you enjoy playing? (Monopoly; Hide ‘n Seek; etc.)
• If you could capture a special moment from the last week which one would you frame? Why?

Study

Read Genesis 3.1-13 and discuss the following:

• What do you think the serpent’s role is in this story?
• Who do you think is really at fault in this story?
  •   Adam
  •   Eve
  •   Serpent
  •   God
  •   A Combination
• Why do you think Adam and Eve were so quick to “pass the buck”? Why do we?
• What role does choice play in this story? Why does God restrict their choices with the one tree?
• Why do you think they hid from God?
• Why did God judge them so harshly?

Apply

• Where are you most vulnerable to the serpent? When has he caused you to doubt God’s words? <”Did God really say __________?”
• What do you tend to do when you see your own sins?
  • Beat myself up
  • Shrug it off
  • Blame someone else
  • Ignore it and hope it goes away
  • Deal with it in a healthy way
• In what ways do you need to take responsibility for yourself?
• What can this group do to help you be accountable?

Shooter is not the only one to live in the past. How many people do you know who had their best years in the yesterdays of their mind? How many do you know who dwell in the past either in its regrets or in its glory?

Christians have the privilege of letting go of the past, both the good and bad. The best days for the Jesus followers are ahead, not behind. Faith and hope keep us going.

The following small group study is based on the sermon Richard May will present this Sunday, May 15, 2008. He has in mind encouraging the 2008 graduates to go forward and not live in the past. I hope this lesson is useful to you.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

A Preacher decided to experiment with changing some sad statistics in his church. He made a list of 12 people who had recently been baptized in their church, and then he and his wife invited them over. Naturally, these new Christians were thrilled to be invited to their Preacher’s house. They were excited about their new connection with the Lord and with His Church.

After supper the Preacher sat down with this group of enthusiastic new Christians — and he asked them an unexpected question. He asked if they would like for him to predict their futures for the next 2 or 3 years.

They were a little surprised at that offer, but they all said “yes”
— so, the Preacher made this prediction: “As I look at the 12 of you, I must predict, that … statistically speaking — in the next 2 or 3 years —

2 of your marriages will break up — and your feelings of shame will cause you to leave the church
3 of you will have conflict with someone in the church and you, also, will leave the church
1 of you will experience tragedy and lose faith. You, too will leave the church.
2 of you will have some sort of moral failing and will leave the church.
2 of the 4 remaining will simply lose interest and drift away from the church … for no obvious reason.

In two or three years, out of this group of 12 …

• … only 2 of you will still be attending church —
• — and only 1 of you will still be attending THIS church.

There was dead silence in the room. All these wide-eyed new Christians looked around at each other as if to say, “How could that happen to us?”

Finally, one of them spoke up and asked, “What can we do to change those statistics?”

The Preacher was waiting to hear that question. He had his answer ready. He said, “You can get together and as a group decide that you are not going to let anyone go.”

That is exactly what they did.

These strangers — who had never been together until that gathering at the Preacher’s home — formed themselves into a Small Group. Week by week they came to really KNOW each other. They supported each other through the tragedies, divorces, conflicts, and moral failings. In 4 years of meeting together, only 1 person left the church. That small caring group changed the Statistics from losing 10 out of 12 to losing only 1 out of 12.

What are your priorities? Do you want to GROW as a Christian? Do you want to show LOVE to others? Taking time to meet with a Small Group is one of the best ways to make progress in your Christian life.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

We can easily see the value of a Leader who will contact his/her group each week; pray for group members; study; and lead the group discussions. However, the apprentice plays a vital role in group’s growth and multiplication. The apprentice gains experience with the leader and when the group grows large enough, he/she will lead the new group that is established from the initial group.

To provide the necessary experience, the group leader can delegate responsibilities to the apprentice. Not only does this provide important experience, it helps the leader avoid burnout. The group leader then leads the group, and also becomes a trainer for the apprentice. This follows the 2 Timothy 2:2 pattern.

If you are leading a small group, be sure you have an apprentice/co-leader. Give the apprentice opportunities to gain experience and grow. As your group grows, assist the apprentice in leading the new group. Then find a new apprentice. Keep passing the baton!

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

It is true that Luke records some numbers in the book of Acts. That seems to be something that a Physician/Historian would do. Certain numbers, like weight and temperature, can tell us things about the health of a patient (or a church body).

Think about the flipside. David took a census in Israel after he was told not to. He was punished for his disobedience. A danger was that the nation could have looked at their own strength in numbers instead of looking to God. It was not the best thing.

What if (I always like to think in terms of what could be) we stopped counting attendance? Would we stop feeling so secure in our numbers? Would we shift our attention to people? Would we check on absentees? Would we be better motivated to fill empty seats with new people? Would our source of security be our God?

How large was the church in Corinth? Ephesus? Philippi? Jesus gave some criticisms regarding the “Seven Churches of Asia” (which, by the way are no longer with us). Not once did he criticize them for low numbers — there are bigger issues.

My challenge is for us to see past the numbers. See the people. Look to our God. This is not just about, “How many?” it is about, “Who?”

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene (greene.perry@gmail.com)